Surfactants are surface-active substances having both hydrophobic and hydrophilic properties which reduce the surface tension of water and are widely used as wetting agents, emulsifiers, dispersing agents, and the like in a wide variety of products, for example, detergent formulations, cosmetics, protective coatings, adhesives, lubricants, and pharmaceuticals. New surfactants are highly desirable because surfactants having different properties are in demand for a variety of applications, including industrial and household cleaners. For example, a major problem in the field of home laundry detergent formulations is the selection of surfactants to compensate for the low wash water temperatures to conserve energy and the changing fabric mix due to the popularity of synthetic fibers such as polyester and polyester-cotton blends. Surfactants which have more soluble calcium salts than soaps are desirable for use with hard water.
One advantage of this invention is providing a class of novel compounds that are useful as anionic surfactants. Another advantage is providing a class of novel anionic surfactants which are readily biodegraded. Another advantage is detergent formulations containing one or more compounds of this invention having effective cleaning performance. These and other advantages are disclosed in more detail hereinafter.